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I have come again with yet another recipe using the chickpeas. Yes, i love the black chickpeas or kala channa over the white variety. Adding them to soups and curries or making a salad or just snacking on them, i can have them in any form. There was some chickpeas left from making soup the other day, well i intentionally wanted some leftovers.

Anyways, talking about this curry, i always love tamarind and coconut based curries, they are like comfort food for me, when mixed in hot rice with a dollop of ghee you're in food heaven. I had a huge eggplant sitting in the fridge and i don't really make anything besides this puzhi Kuzhambu ( a tamarind based curry) with the vegetable. Since i had some chickpeas, i added it to the gravy along with the eggplant and it turned out super delicious. I also added some coconut paste to thicken the gravy.

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Eggplant and Chickpea Gravy

By Sathya Sankar Serves 2-3 people

INGREDIENT

1 medium sized eggplant, cut into cubes

1 medium sized onion, diced

1 small tomato, chopped finely

1/2 cup black chickpeas or kala channa or kondakadalai, cooked

2 tablespoons freshly grated coconut

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1 tablespoon coconut oil

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds or methi seeds

curry leaves, a hand full

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

2 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 tablespoon thick tamarind pulp

salt, to taste

water, needed for the gravy

METHOD

Make the tamarind pulp by soaking a lemon sized ball of tamarind in hot water for 10minutes. Squeeze out the pulp and set aside.

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add the mustard seeds, once it splutters add the fenugreek seeds and curry leaves and then add the onions and garlic to it.

Saute the onions until they start to soften,now add the tomatoes and sauce till tomatoes are soft and mushy.

Throw in the spice powders and mix well.

Add the diced eggplant along with the chickpeas and mix well to incorporate.

Now, add the tamarind pulp along with salt and water, mix well and let it come to a boil. Cover with lid and let it cook on medium flame for about 15 minutes or until the eggplant is cooked through.

To make the coconut paste, add the coconut and fennel seeds along with enough water to make a paste into a blender, blend to a paste and add it to the gravy.

Check for salt and it to a boil for 5 minutes or until the gravy thickens, remove from heat.

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NOTES

Using black chickpeas is totally optional and you can make the same gravy just with eggplants.

Adding some boiled peanuts instead of chickpeas will also taste great.

Adjust the spice powders according to your taste, the amount i have given will make a medium spicy gravy.

Coconut paste is totally optional, but if you want a good thick consistency then i will recommend adding it.

The gravy goes well with hot rice and chapati and dosa.

Adjust the level of tamarind according to your taste, mine will be not be so tangy so i added a lemon sized.

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